Love's Legacy
by TickledPear
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione's 6th year...a new girl comes...the saga continues...R/R pls!
1. Default Chapter Title

CHAPTER 1: The New Girl  
  
  
Harry woke up with a start. It took him several minutes to realize exactly where he was.  
"Ohhh….ick. I'm at the Dursley's." he groaned and fell back on his covers. It was another fine morning at Privet Drive. There was only 1 more week to go before summer was over and yet, he still felt as though it would be ages before he got back to Hogwarts. He missed his friends, his teachers (except maybe Snape) and Quidditch. He glanced at his night table and was reassured when he saw the familiar scroll that told him to be at King's Cross Station on the 1st of Sept, his list of school books and other required things for his 6th year at Hogwart's School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard a sharp tapping at the window. Harry stood up and opened it. Instantly, a little ball of feathers whizzed in and flew all over the tiny room. It was Ron's owl Pig, carrying a message from his master. The note read:  
Dear Harry,  
I'm sure you've got your Hoggy letter by now. Anyway, wanna meet me and Hermione at Diagon Alley on the last Wednesday of August? By the way, a new joke shop opened there. GUESS WHAT? It belongs to Fred and George!!! The best part is, they promised to give us tons of free stuff!!  
Owl back ASAP ok?  
- Ron  
Harry grinned as he thought of Ron's marauding elder twin brothers. Knowing those two clowns, they had probably already terrorized half of Diagon Alley with their pranks and endless mischief. Well…only one more year to go after this one and then…then what? He smiled a bittersweet smile as he contemplated the future. He fell asleep thinking, "Voldemort better not screw up this year for me…"  
  
*****  
  
"Harry! Harry! Over here!" Hermione shouted. They were sitting at a table in front of Florean Fortescue's Shop and Ron was beside her, waving frantically. Harry jogged over to his two best friends.  
"Want a bite? Its really good." Hermione offered Harry a spoonful of her sundae. She elbowed Ron to do the same. Ron just kept on polishing off the remainder of his Fortescue Special.  
Harry used the time Hermione was whacking Ron with her spoon to take a good look at his friends whom he hadn't seen all summer.  
Ron was really tall now, almost 6 ft (Harry noted this with envy), and as freckled and as red-headed as ever.  
Hermione, however, had changed. She was the same yet different somehow. Her dark brown hair was sleek instead of bushy and was pulled into an artfully messy bun. Her blue eyes twinkled brightly and her smile was warm and bright. My God…Hermione is beautiful! Harry realized with surprise.  
Because he was so deep in thought, he didn't realize his friends were staring at him.   
"Harry, you look exactly like you did when Professor Trelawney made you inhale incense smoke last year." Snickered Ron. "What's up with you?"  
"Er…nothing."   
Hermione and Ron looked at him strangley.   
"Anyway, now that Harry is out of his trance, we better start shopping. I want to go to Flourish and Blotts first. I here they've got a new shipment of books." Hermione said. Understandably, Ron and Harry just groaned.  
"Can't we go to the Weasley Magical Mischief Shop first?" pleaded Ron and made puppy eyes at her.  
"Umm..Herm, I have to agree with Ron on this one. (Hermione glared at Harry) If we don't go now, we'll practically have to drag you out of the bookstore later on." Put in Harry. Hermione threw up her hands and followed the boys to the joke shop.  
Inside the Weasley Magical Mischief Shop, they were greeted by Fred and George and were promptly showered with fireworks. The shop was so crowded with wizards and witches of all ages that they stayed only long enough to get a sackful of canary creams, filibuster fireworks, ton tongue toffee, exploding snaps etc.  
As they were stepping out of the shop, Ron accidentally knocked over a girl who was standing just outside the crowded shop.  
"Hey watch it!" the girl said.  
"Oh I'm so sorry! Here let me help you up." Ron said and offered a hand to the girl. She took it and tried to brush herself off. The trio looked at her curiously. The girl had long blond hair, eyes so blue they appeared violet, and a pretty, pleasant face. She spoke with an American accent and was dressed in Muggle clothes.  
"My name is Ron Weasley." Said Ron. Harry noticed that Ron looked rather awestruck by the girl he had just knocked over.  
"I'm Hermione Granger."  
"I'm Harry Potter." She took all of the offered hands and gave each one a hearty shake.  
"Oh! I know all three of you! My grandfather has told me all about you." She said with a knowing grin. "My name is Lara by the way."  
Hermione noticed the books that the other girl was carrying (trust Hermione to notice that kind of thing).  
"Are you a student at Hogwarts? I don't think I've ever seen you around the castle" she asked  
"Well, I guess I am now. I just transferred this year, I used to study in America but now that I'm here, I'll be starting my 6th year at Hogwarts." She smiled.  
"Hello Harry, Ron, Hermione." A pleasantly familiar voice said behind them. Albus Dumbledore apparated beside them.  
"Hello Professor!" the trio chorused.  
"I see you've met my granddaughter." Chuckled the Professor  
"GRANDDAUGHTER?!?" Harry, Ron and hermione exclaimed, dumbstruck. They whirled around and faced the blond girl.  
Lara smiled and gave a little wave.  
  
*****   
"I still can't believe Dumbledore has a granddaughter." Harry said. The week had passed and the three friends were now seated in their regular Hogwarts Express compartment. However, the topic on their mind was still the headmaster's granddaughter.  
"Yeah. Not to mention one that gorgeous." Added Ron rather dreamily.  
"I never even knew that hew was married." Harry continued.  
"Come to think of it…" Hermione suddenly jumped up and rummaged tahrough her bag. She gave a little cry of triumph when she extracted a thick book. It bore the title "The Life of the Great Dumbledore". She flipped it open and began reading out loud:  
"Albus Dumbledore married Eden Fletcher, a fellow witch, also of the Order of Merlin. They had a son, Astor, who is currently attached with the American Ministry of Magic. He and his wife are currently residing in California together with their two children: Alexander, an auror for the US ministry and Lara, a student at Eastwick Academy for Magic.  
"Ummm…that was the name of my old school." A voice explained.  
"Lara!" Ron jumped up in surprise. Lara stood in the doorway of the compartment.  
"Mind if I sit with you guys?" she grinned and took a step forward. Ron all but shoved Harry off the seat in order to make room for Lara to sit in. They started chatting and Lara told them all about her life in the US. By the end of the ride, Harry knew that Lara, Albus Dumbledore's granddaughter, would become a part of their group and a big part of their lives.  



	2. Default Chapter Title

***Disclaimer: Hail to Ms. JK Rowling, creator of all the HP characters! I own nothing except Lara and my plot. (Sorry I wasn't able to put a disclaimer in the first part of this series.)  
  
***(A/N): Hey everyone! Thanks for your reviews. I really appreciate it! Anyway, This story will DEFINITELY have a minimum of at least 15 chapters. So...just wait and see...hehe  
  
  
  
Chapter 2: The Sorting  
  
"Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here!" a big booming voice shouted over the crowd.  
"Hagrid!" Hermione greeted. Ron and Harry waved as well.  
"All right there Harry? Ron? Hermione?" grinned the huge Hogwarts caretaker. They chatted for a few seconds before they parted ways and Hagrid loaded the scared and trembling first years into the small boats waiting on the lake.  
"They sure do look nervous!" chuckled Ron.  
"You should talk! You nearly fainted on Hagrid when we were firsties." Reminded Hermione. Harry and Lara burst out laughing as Ron's ears became as red as his hair, muttering "…geez Hermione, did you have to remind me?"  
The foursome walked up to the huge double doors of the castle.  
SPLAT!  
"Arrrgh! PEEVES!" Harry shouted as he tried to swat the mischievous poltergeist. All four of them were soaked to the bone in ice water.  
"Let me guess. Peeves the Poltergeist right?" asked Lara as she wrung water out of her hair.  
'At your service madame new girl." The mischief-maker said and mockingly bowed to her. He then took a lock of her long hair and gave a sharp tug before zooming away shouting, "I GOT THE NEW GIRL! I GOT THE NEW GIRL!"  
When they entered the Great Hall, Harry heard Lara gasp. She was looking at the ceiling that was enchanted to look like the sky outside.  
"Grandpa always told me about how the ceiling was magically enchanted but I never expected it to be THIS beautiful." She said in wonder. Lara stood transfixed as she gazed at the "sky". It was a clear midnight blue and was choc-full of stars.  
"Come on…You have to get up there and be sorted." Hermione gently pushed Lara up to McGonagall. After they deposited her with her grandfather, they sat down at the Gryffindor table on the far side of the hall. They watched as Lara greeted her grandfather with an affectionate kiss. They spoke for a few moments with Professor McGonagall before Lara headed over to the very end of the line of trembling first years. McGonagall took out a very old, very worn black hat and placed it on a stool. She stood back and waited, as did the rest of the hall.  
Suddenly, the hat launched into a song:  
  
"I know I'm not a handsome hat.  
That I don't deny.  
Don't feed me to a hungry bat,  
For I can still reply;  
And tell you your true houses right.  
Where surely your future will be bright.  
Will you be a true Gryffindor;  
A person of courage true?  
Where boldness and friendship  
Are the things that they look for.  
Will you be a wise old Ravenclaw;  
A person of wisdom great?  
Where learning, knowledge and the truth  
Are certainly not a flaw.  
Will you be a cheery Hufflepuff;  
A person of diligence?  
Where one who is hardworking  
Will be thought hot stuff.  
Will you then be a Slytherin;  
A person who wants success?  
Where power, fame and fortune  
Are what will make you win.  
So put me on your little head  
Whether it be black, blond or red.  
Do it now!  
Don't be shy!  
For I'm a wise old cap!"  
  
The Great Hall burst into applause and the Sorting Hat bowed to each house solemnly.  
Professor McGonagall stepped forward again and began reading from a scroll that she was holding.  
"Abner, Eloise"  
"HUFFLEPUFF!" (applause from the Hufflepuff table)  
"Finnegan, Sondra"  
"GRYFFINDOR!" ("Oh no! I'm stuck with my sister!" graoned Seamus)  
"Funnel, Joseph"  
"HUFFLEPUFF!"  
"Nokor, Gordon"  
"SLYTHERIN!" ("Ick. Another one." Murmured Ron)  
So it went, down the line. Until finally, Dumbledore stood up and waved his hands for attention.  
"I would now like to introduce to you a new student. She is a transfer from the Eastwick Academy of Magic in the United States and will be starting her 6th year. Please welcome my granddaughter, Lara Dumbledore."  
Whispers broke out among the students.  
"Dumbledore did he say?"  
"Is that really his granddaughter?"  
"They're related?!?"  
Ron also noticed that nearly half of the male population were eyeing Lara with interest. ("Stupid gits" he muttured)  
"Dumbledore, Lara" McGonagall said and rolled up her scroll.  
Lara stepped forward and nervously placed the Sorting Hat on her head.  
"Aahh… a relative of the Great One! Hmmm…plenty of spunk and courage. Bright mind too. That's good. Aha! A Special gift I see…So you have found friends here already eh? Well…here's another one for GRYFFINDOR!" the hat finally shouted.  
The students all clapped and cheered. (except of course Slytherin)  
With a grateful smile, Lara made her way to the Gryffindor table and sat down beside Ron.  
  
*****   
  
"This way! Please follow me." Directed Hermione. She and Harry were prefects this year and were now leading a group of half-asleep first years to the Gryffindor Tower.  
"Ursa minor." Harry said the password when they reached the portrait of the fat lady. They went into the common room and were greeted by the cheery flame and a number of students. Hermione and Harry separated the first years and directed them to their respective dormitories.  
Minutes later, only quiet was to be hear in Gryffindor Tower. Tired, happy and with full stomachs, the students had all fallen asleep.  
  
*****   
The boy!  
He's out to get the boy!  
Then out of nowhere, a song was heard:  
"The one of unruly black and emeralds bright  
Shall be the dark Lord's blight.  
With the Eye of Light will he then be  
The Chosen One who will set us free.  
Together with the gold and the mighty three,  
They will fulfill Love's Legacy."  
  
Lara jerked awake. "Oh no! Not again. Please don't let it be another prophecy." She muttured.  
Ever since she was small, she knew that she had been blessed (or cursed) with a special gift: the gift of prophecy. Her parents and her Grandfather all knew that she was a Seer and had helped her develop her skill.  
"I don't want to know." She whispered to the darkness.  
Vividly, she remembered her past prophecies. All of them were accurate. All of them ended up a tragedy. Lara began sobbing into her pillow for the face that she saw in her dream was that of Harry Potter.  
  
*****   
  
"Lara! Wake up! We'll be late!" Hermione said, giving Lara a vigorous shake.  
'Ummm…" Lara moaned and turned over, trying to block out the racket that Hermione was making. With a sigh, Hermione pulled out her wand.  
"Wingardium Leviosa!" and suddenly, Lara's bedcover lifted into the air.  
"Okay! Okay! I'm up!" Lara stood up and went to get ready, yawning all the way; last night's dream still heavy on her mind.  
The two girls met up with Harry and Ron in the Great Hall. They were eating their breakfast and laughing when suddenly, a cold hand clamped onto Lara's shoulder.  
"Well, well. If it isn't the Headmaster's Granddaughter." Sneered Draco Malfoy. Lara whirled around and narrowed her eyes in recognition and instant dislike.  
"Well, well. If it isn't the Death Eater's son." She said, mimicking his insulting tone of voice perfectly. The students around them had stopped what they were doing and were now watching the little scene with mouths hanging open.  
Malfoy glared at her for a few more seconds before sauntering off.  
"You better watch it Dumbledore." He smirked over hjs shoulder.  
"Uh oh. I think you just made yourself an enemy." Commented Seamus Finnegan who happened to be passing by with a plate of sausages and eggs.  
Lara tossed her blond hair and shrugged.  
"That's okay Lara. We hate him too." Hermione said to comfort her.  
"Yeah. That slimy git is one guy you're better off hating." Added Harry  
"He's a creep okay? End of discussion. I'd really appreciate it if we not talk about Draco Malfoy while we're eating. It makes me want to throw up." Pleaded Ron while making fake gagging noises.  
Hermione, Harry and Lara burst out laughing.   



	3. Default Chapter Title

***Disclaimer: Hail to Ms. JK Rowling, creator of all the HP characters! I own nothing except Lara and my plot.   
  
***(A/N): Okay…here's chapter 3. Wasn't that fast? Hehe! The mystery takes a twist, the prophecy is yet to be understood and Sirius Black comes back… Read on!!!  
  
  
  
Chapter3: First Morning Back  
  
All of a sudden, thousands of owls poured into the Hall. Hedwig landed expertly in front of Harry and deposited a bit of parchment on his plate. It read,  
  
Dear Harry,  
I trust you're now safely at Hogwarts. Anyway, I'll be dropping by soon as I'll be staying at Hogsmeade for the next week or so. Meet me at the top of the North Tower Tonight at 10:00 PM.   
Until then,  
Sirius  
  
"What is it Harry?" Hermione asked, taking in Harry's pleased grin.  
"Sirius is coming to visit. He'll be staying at Hogsmeade."  
"Hmm…for business or for pleasure?" asked Ron.  
"Well, I think both. I'll bet anything that Dumbledore asked him to come." Harry gave a slight frown at this. If this was true, danger must not be far behind.  
Before they knew it, Professor McGonagall was handing out their time tables.  
"Oh no! There should be a law banning Transfiguration first thing in the morning!" Ron groaned.  
"Hmm…cheer up Ron. Its not so bad. Look, after that comes Charms, then Double Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, then DADA, then…" Harry was saying  
"Then Potions with the Slytherins!" moaned Hermione.  
"Well at least there's a new subject: Elemental Magic" Lara added "But that's not until tomorrow, together with Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy"  
"Elemental Magic? What's that?" asked Ron skeptically.  
"Ron, it's the study of magic involving the elements: earth, fire, wind, water, thunder and lightning." Hermione lectured, sounding as though she swallowed the whole book as usual.  
"I wonder who the new Defense Against dark Arts Teacher will be this year." Mused Harry. The DADA Professor wasn't at the banquet last night so until now, no one knew who he/she would be.  
"I know. Grandpa told me." Lara couldn't resist saying.  
"Who is it then?" Hermione prodded  
"Remus Lupin."  
"Lupin? That's super!" exclaimed Harry. Lupin was their Defense Against Dark Arts Teacher in their 3rd year but had left after one year because of certain…er…difficulties.  
"Yeah. He went to teach at Eastwick after Hogwarts. Grandpa asked him back this year after he settled a few issues with Lucius Malfoy." She added.  
The foursome finished breakfast and hurried off to their first class, transfiguration with Professor McGonagall.  
"Good morning class." McGonagall greeted as they all took their seats. A chorus of 'good mornings' answered.  
"Okay. Today I will be teaching you something new. Please pay attention as this can get dangerous if performed wrongly." She turned around and wrote on the blackboard: ANIMAGUS. Excited whispers broke out among the students.  
"Can anyone tell me what an animagus is?" hermione's hand shot up into the air, followed closely by Ron's, Harry's and Lara's.  
"Ms. Granger?"  
"An animagus is a person who can change into a specific animal at will." She said and folded her hands on her desk.  
"Right. Take 5 pts for Gryffindor. (much cheering greeted this) By the end of the year, you will all hopefully know how to transform into animals and then back again into your human form." With that, she transformed into a cat and back again. This was greeted with much clapping by the students.  
"However, before we even begin to tackle Animagi, I will first give you a test to see if you retained anything from last year."  
The entire class, quite understandably, groaned.  
  
*****   
  
An hour later, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lara walked out of the room, their brains quite fried.  
"If you ask me, a teacup was never meant to be a turtle anyway." Grumbled Ron  
"I think I did pretty well." Hermione said. The two boys just rolled their eyes. The day that Hermione Granger didn't do well would be the day that Voldemort admitted that he loved rainbows and pink bunnies. Harry suddenly noticed that Lara hadn't said a word.  
"You okay Lara?" he asked. Lara seemed to snap out of it and shook her head as if to clear it.  
"Umm…yeah. Everything's peachy." She smiled weakly and walked ahead.  
"Peachy? What does that mean? Isn't that a fruit?" Rona asked confused.  
"You know Americans. They speak differently." Hermione said airily and chased after Lara.  
  
*****   
"Lara! Wait up!" She called. Lara slowed down and waited for Hermione to catch up.  
"Are you sure you're alright? You look rather nervous." Hermione asked, concerned.  
"Oh Herm…there is something wrong. Its…Its about Harry."  
"Harry? What about Harry?" Hermione demanded rather sharply. Lara looked around then dragged Hermione to an empty classroom and locked the door.  
"I've got a confession to make. Hermione, I'm a Seer."  
"A Seer?! You mean, you can see the future and make prophecies?"  
"yes. And last night, I saw one of Harry."  
"What was it about?"  
Lara took a deep breath and recited the song that she heard last night:  
  
The boy of unruly black and emeralds bright  
Shall be the Dark Lord's blight.  
With the Eye of Light will he then be  
The Chosen One who will set us free.  
Together with the gold and the mighty three,  
They will fulfill the Legacy.  
  
"Hmm…the unruly black and the emerald's bright…that COULD be referring to Harry." Thought Hermione. Then again..  
"You don't understand! I saw his face!" added Lara, seeing the skepticism on Hermione's face.  
"But the prophesy said that Harry would be the Dark Lord's blight - that he would defeat Voldemort. That's gotta be good, right?"  
"Technically, yes. But its says that that will only happen if Harry has the Eye of Light. What is that?" asked Lara.  
"Eye of Light…Eye of Light…I don't know! And what on earth does the 'gold and the mighty three' refer to?" Hermione asked a little hysterically inspite of herself.  
"For that matter, what is the Love's Legacy?" added Lara  
"We have to find out! Or else…"  
"Or else harry will die."  
  
*****   
The two girls agreed that they wouldn't tell Harry and Ron anything until they figured it out some more. They finished their classes in a daze. Harry and Ron got rather miffed that they weren't telling them what was going on. By the end of the day, there was only one class left: Potions.  
As soon as they entered the classroom, Snape's lip curled into a sneer.  
"Potter. Weasley. Granger. Dumbledore. 5 points from Gryffindor for being late." He barked. The Slytherins all snickered. Lara was about to talk back but Ron placed a warning hand on her arm and guided her to a seat beside him.  
"As these four have decided to grace us with their presence, we will now begin. Today we'll be doing a rather complicated Stress-Removing Potion." He divided the class into pairs and handed out ingredients. Harry paired up with Hermione and Ron with Lara.  
"Ms. Dumbledore! You have cut up that dragon root too small! Just because you're the Headmaster's granddaughter doesn't mean that you can get special treatment! 5 pts from Gryffindor." Snape snarled. Ron glared at the Professor's back. Thankfully, the rest of the lesson passed in relative quiet, disturbed only by the explosion coming from Neville's cauldron.  
"Mr. Longbottom! Your stupidity never ceases to amaze me! I said a pinch of worm-gut extract - NOT a spoonful!" shouted Snape at the cowering Neville.  
When the lesson was over, they all trooped up to the Common Room.  
"Look Harry!" Hermione pointed to a sign posted on the wall beside the Fat Lady's portrait.  
"Quidditch tryouts tomorrow afternoon!" she said  
"Planning on trying our Herm?" Harry asked. He was captain of the Gryffindor House Team as well as its Seeker.  
"No, of course not! Are either of you thinking of trying out? Ron? Lara?" asked Hermione.  
"Ahhh…no." Ron said, scarlet faced. He had tried out for the team last year but had failed to get in.  
"Maybe." Shrugged Lara.  
  
*****   
THAT NIGHT…  
Harry slipped his invisibility cloak on and stepped out of the Gryffindor portrait hole. He quickly made his way up to the Tower. A big black dog was waiting for him.  
"Hello Sirius." He said and slipped of his cloak.  
"Harry!" Sirius grinned as he transformed into his human form.  
"So what's up? What was it you wanted to tell me?"  
"Dumbledore called me up. I'm here on official business actually."  
"Really? About what?"  
"Harry…I've been called here to protect you."  
"Protect me? Why? Voldemort is still somewhere in the Albanian woods trying to recover."  
"No Harry. He somehow recovered and has vanished. Aurors are saying that he may be headed back to Hogwarts. To kill you." Sirius said quietly.  
"Why me? Why in the hell does Voldemort always want to kill me?" fumed harry  
"I…I'm sorry…I am not at liberty to say right now." Said Sirius with bowed head. Harry looked at him, grabbed his cloak and ran back down to his room.  
"I know this is difficult Harry…but this is the only way the Legacy will be fulfilled." Whispered Sirius after his godson had left.  
  
  
  
  



	4. Default Chapter Title

***Disclaimer: All Hail to Ms. Rowling, creator of all HP characters. I own nothing except for Lara and my plot.  
  
  
***(A/N): Hey everyone! Thanks for all your reviews! So…to show my gratitude…here's part 4! I've got lots of time on my hands that's why I've been uploading one part after another. This one is basically about…ahhh…just keep readin my friends! *grins*   
  
  
Chapter 4: Quidditch Tryouts  
  
Ron went up to his room alone after his friends decided to visit the library after dinner. His mind was burning with one thought: Quidditch tryouts. Ever since Hermione pointed out the notice, it was all he could think about.   
He went to his trunk at the foot of his bed and took out his new Nimbus 2001. Fred and George had given it to him as an early birthday present last summer.  
"Carry on the Weasley Legacy, Ron." George had said with mock solemnity. Ron sighed, remembering what he had to live up to. Bill had been Head Boy as well as an excellent Quidditch player. Charlie had been captain and could have even played for England if he hadn't gone off to train dragons. Percy had been Head Boy (though not a player) and Fred and George had been co-captains of the House team in their 7th year. Between the five of them, they had already gotten every academic and Quidditch recognition there was. Where did that leave him?  
He looked down at his broom. Sure, it may not be up to the level of Harry's Firebolt but still…  
All summer, Ron had practiced Quidditch in the field behind his house. He knew that Harry would be captain this year and more than anything, he wanted to be part of the team. "This year…" he thought.  
"I'll show everyone that I'm just as good as Harry Potter!" he said out loud.  
Little did he know, Harry was listening, unnoticed, by the doorway.  
  
*****   
As soon as Harry had left to go with Ron, Lara and Hermione began searching for any book that contained anything about the Eye of Light or any infromaion that might help them understand the prophesy. After an hour of fruitless search…  
"Don't you think we should go to Dumbledore?" asked hermione tiredly.  
"No! He might stop us from doing what we have to do. I made that prophesy and I feel sort of responsible for it." Lara said determinedly. Hermione just sighed and looked through another stack of books.  
They stayed for another hour, one that yielded no results.   
As they were stepping out of the library, loaded down with heavy volumes, Hermione accidentally tripped and went sprawling on the floor.  
"Well Granger, groveling at my feet, I see." Said a cold voice Lara had come to hate.  
"You wish Malfoy." Snapped Hermione as she awkwardly stood up.  
"Tsk.Tsk.Tsk. Until now you still don't know your place, do you Mudblood/" drawled Draco.  
Lara gasped and drew out her wand.  
"Say that again Malfoy!" she demanded, her wand poised to do damage. Hermione followed suit. Crabbe and Goyle clumsily pulled out their wands as well.  
Malfoy hust laughed and folded his arms on his chest.  
"Another time perhaps, little girl. I don't want to hurt you TOO badly." With that. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle sauntered off, laughing.  
"Oooh! That git makes me so mad!" sputtered Lara.  
"I know exactly how you feel. What do you say we puta little hex in his food?" grinned Hermione wickedly.  
That night during dinner, the Great Hall was in relative peace when a loud yelp came from the Slytherin table. The entire student body was dumbstruck to see Malfoy's mane of silvery hair fall off.  
"Omigosh! Malfoy is bald!" Ginny Weasley was laughing so loudly that she started choking. Lavender had to whack her several times on the back to relieve her.  
"Yes! Score 1 for me. Take that Malfoy!" crowed Hermione.  
A second later, huge ugly brown spots appeared on Malfoy's shiny head.  
"Score 1 for me too!" added Lara gleefully.  
"Wait…wait a minute. You two did THAT?" asked Harry in disbelief.  
"Yep. That arrogant git had it coming after he made the mistake of insulting us." Shrugged Lara delicately.  
"That's why we adde a few hexes to his supper. I put in a temporary hair loss curse that lasts for one week. Lara spiced it up with an imitation chicken pox potion. And, as you can now see, gentlemen, the results of our handiwork." Chuckled hermione.  
"You two are evil." Said Ron admiringly.  
Malfoy kept on shouting but never did find out who did it since Lara and Hermione had put several spells in his food to prevent it being traced to them.  
Professor Dumbledore merely smiled and conjured a wig for Draco to use.  
"It seems that you must have offended someone quite soundly if they were angry enough to do this Mr. Malfoy." He said mildly.  
"How dare they! I shall tell Father of this!" he howled and stormed out of the Hall amidst the laughter of his schoolmates.  
  
*****   
The following day…  
"Okay! For those of you who don't know me, my name is Harry Potter. I'm the Captain of the Gryffindor House Team as well as the seeker. Today we'll be screening you all for a Keeper, two Chasers and a Beater. The people who used to occupy these positions have all graduated. If you aren't chosen, don't be disappointed. We will also be looking for possible reserves." Harry said all this with perfect confidence. He was pleased to see that a lot of students had shown up. However, he frowned slightly when he didn't see either Ron or Lara among the eager faces. He resolved that at least for today, he would forget about the awful news that Sirius had told him.  
"Please form 3 lines: 1 for Beaters, 1 for Chasers and 1 for Keepers."  
The students accordingly divided themselves in the positions that Harry indicated and waited patiently.  
"Harry! Harry! Wait for me." Ron suddenly came running up, looking slightly out of breath. He was holding his Nimbus 2001.  
"Ron! I knew you would come!" he motioned his friend over to the group of students already lined up on the field. Ron took his place behind the other Keeper wannabes.  
Harry, Colin Creevey (a/n: yes! He's on the team and he plays Chaser) and Seamus Finnegan (he's a Beater) started the tryouts. Among those who tried out, they quickly found a Beater and a haser. Only 2 spots were left.  
It was Ron's turn.  
He mounted his broom expertly and zoomed up 15 ft. Colin and Seamus began throwing Quaffles in his direction. Ron struggled to get every single one of them. Out of 15 Quaffles, he managed to block 14.  
"That was great Ron!" exclaimed Harry. He wasn't lying. Ron's skill had grown by leaps and bounds over the summer and had come a long way from last year. The whoops and cheers of the students below was enough to prove it.  
"I think we've found our Keeper." Grinned Seamus.  
  
*****   
  
"Oh I hope we aren't late." Fretted Hermione.   
She and Lara had been in the library again, looking for more clues to the prophesy.  
"Do you really think I have a chance?" asked Lara worriedly.  
"Well, I haven't seen you fly yet…" hedged Hermione. They reached the Quidditch field and saw all the people.  
"Here goes nothing." Lara muttered, took a deep breath and marched forward.  
"Lara! I'm so glad you came!" greeted Harry "You're the last one to try. What position do you want to play?"  
"Umm…Back in my old school, I was a Chaser."  
Lara then mounted her broom (a Nimbus 2001) and 5 minutes later, she landed on the ground.  
"How was that?" she asked  
She got no reply for everyone's jaw had dropped down in amazement.  
"That was…that was…" stammered Ron.  
"Great!" said an awaed Harry. Hermione beamed with pride.  
At the end of the tryouts, the new recruits were:  
Beater - Melissa Tripley (a 3rd year)  
Keeper - Ron Weasley  
Chasers - Ariadne Patil (Parvati's younger sister in the 5th year)  
- Lara Dumbledore  
  
"I knew you guys could do it!" squealed Hermione happily.  
"Thanks Herm.: blushed Lara. Ron was grinning from ear to ear.  
Lara linked arms with Ron and they walked back to the castle chattering happily about Quidditch. Hermione was about to follow when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  
"Wait Hermione." It was Harry.  
She turned around and looked up at him wonderingly. She vainly tried to ignore her frantically beating heart.  
"What is it Harry?"  
"I have to tell you something."  
  
  
***(A/N): mwahaha! Sorry for the clifhanger…  



	5. Default Chapter Title

***Disclaimer: All Hail to JK Rowling, creator of all HP characters. I own nothing except Lara & plot.  
  
***(A/N): awww…..I feel so sad…I've been getting so few reviews….*sniff* Anyway, Chapter 4 is here! Some H/Hr in here and the 2nd half of the prophecy…..please please PLEASE R/R….  
  
  
Chapter 4: Revelations  
  
  
Harry gently steered Hermione under a nearby tree.  
"Hermione…I…look…" Harry started to say. He stopped and took a deep breath.  
("Oh please…please let him say I what I think he's going to say…" Hermione prayed silently)  
"Oh crap! This is so difficult!" cried Harry and slumped against the tree trunk.  
"What is it Harry? You - you know you can tell me. I - I'm you're best friend after all."  
Harry just looked at the ground. The tension in the air fairly crackled. A light breeze caused Harry's messy hair to flutter softly. Suddenly, Hermione couldn't take it anymore.  
"Harry, I love you!"  
Harry Potter, the boy who lived, looked so surprised that his mouth fell open.  
"I know that you might have thought that I didn't care for you in that way but…I do, Harry! I do…I've felt it for the longest time." Hermione added in a rush.  
"Wha-what are you talking about?" harry asked weakly. His face had gone scarlet.  
With a flash or realization, Hermione realized that something was horribly wrong.  
"Weren't you going to tell me that you….that you cared for me?" she asked slowly, drawing out every word.  
"I - no! I only wanted to tell you about what Sirius told me last night. Voldemort has recovered his powers again and is about to strike full force at Hogwarts. He's back and he wants to kill me. I never realized that you felt this way for me."  
With every word that Harry said, Hermione felt her body slowly going numb. She had made a fool of herself.  
"I'm sorry Harry. You - you just want to be friends and I -" Hermione broke off and with tears streaming down her face, went running into the castle  
"Hermione! Wait!" He was too late.  
Harry was left standing alone.  
"Oh my God Hermione. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner. I love you too." He said softly.  
  
*****   
  
"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Hermione was chanting into her pillow. After her disastrous talk with Harry, she had run up to her room and refused to go out for almost an hour.  
"Herm, are you okay/" It was Lara.  
"Go away Lara. I just want to be alone." She said and buried deeper under the covers. Hermione heard some whispering before Lara's and someone else's (probably Ron's) footsteps disappeared down the hallway.  
Hermione stood up and started pacing her room.   
Okay. She had told Harry that she loved him. That piece of stupidity was over and done with. Nothing could be done to change that. So Harry didn't return her love. What could she do about that? Absolutely nothing. However, if she acted fast, maybe she could still save their friendship. Hmm…what had Harry been saying? Something about -  
"Oh my God! Voldemort was after him again!" she suddenly said out loud.  
If Voldemort had recovered as Sirius had said, then Harry was in danger and the time of the prophecy was at hand.  
"Oh damn!" Hermione realized at that instant that she and Lara were no nearer to cracking the prophecy than they were yesterday. With a sickening drop of her heart, she realized that they would have to tell Harry.  
  
*****   
  
The Eye of Light will set us free  
But to find it, One must know,  
What was Then  
To realize  
What is Now  
This, to bring power to  
The Chosen One.  
  
"Lara! Lara! Snap out of it!" Ron was frightened now. One moment, he and Lara had been discussing Hermione's gloomy mood and then all of a sudden, Lara had gone into a trance. He tried shaking her back into reality when her body went rigid and then went limp. Ron caught her as she was about to hit the floor.  
He lay her down on the ground and took out his wand.  
"Ennervate!" Ron said softly as he touched his wand to her heart. Lara came to with a start.  
"Wha-what happened?" she blinked  
"God! Don't EVER scare me like that again!" burst out Ron.  
"Huh? What did I do?"  
"For a minute there, you seemed…I don't know…possessed or something."  
"Possessed?"  
"Yeah. You started talking about some really weird stuff; the Eye of Light or something like that." Ron said, still clutching her hand.  
"Ron! What exactly did I say?" demanded Lara in an urgent voice. Her violet eyes bored deeply into Ron's.  
"Umm…wait. I think you said: 'The eye of light will set us free but to find it, one must know what was then to realize what is now. This, to bring power to the chosen one.' Creepy if you ask me." Ron parroted, although quite confused.  
Lara had taken out a piece of parchment and a quill and had been frantically writing everything that Ron had said.   
"Come on. We have to go tell Hermione." She said and stood up, using Ron's shoulder for leverage.  
"Don't bother. I'm right here." Hermione's voice sounded from behind them. Ron noted that other than slightly swollen eyes, she seemed perfectly fine.  
"I had another one." Lara said. Hermione's eyebrows shot up.  
"Really? What was it about this time?"  
"Umm…at the risk of sounding really stupid, could somebody PLEASE tell me what's going on?" asked Ron helplessly, looking from one girl to another.  
"We will Ron, we will. But we have to get Harry first." Said Hermione, looking away.  
  
*****   
  
30 minutes later, Harry, Hermione, Ron and Lara had met up in the North Tower, their customary meeting place.  
"Harry's here. So what's going on?" demanded Ron.  
"It's about Harry." Larry said quickly. Harry closed his eyes and groaned.  
"I had a prophecy -" she began  
"Wait. Wait just a minute. How can you just make a prophecy?" asked Harry  
"I'm a Seer okay? I'll explain later. Anyway, about the prophecy -" Lara continued. She took out the parchment where she had written the entire thing and began reading aloud.  
  
"the One of unruly black and emeralds bright  
Shall be the dark Lord's blight.  
With the Eye of Light will he then be  
The Chosen One who will set us free.  
Together with the gold and the mighty three,  
They will fulfill Love's Legacy."  
"The Eye of Light will set us free  
But to find it One must know  
What was Then  
To realize  
What is Now  
To bring power  
To the Chosen One."  
  
Harry and Ron were silent.  
"What is the Eye of Light?" asked Harry  
"We haven't figured that part out yet." Said Hermione, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.  
"So let me get this straight. Lara gets a vision of some sort telling us that harry will die unless by some miracle he can get the Eye of Light and get the mighty 3 and the gold to help him. Then Sirius comes saying that Voldemort is back and is basically on a bloody rampage. We have to figure everything out so that harry can fulfill the so-called Love's Legacy, whatever that is." Ron said, ticking off each thing that he said on his fingers.  
The other three nodded dumbly. Ron sighed.  
"Why is it that every year we HAVE to save the world?" he groaned and buried his head in his hands.   



	6. Default Chapter Title

***Disclaimer: All Hail to Ms. Rowling, Creator of all HP characters! I own nothing except Lara & the plot  
  
***(A/N): Well…here's chapter 6….however…I really REALLY need people to review what I've written…I'm beginning to run out of ideas for how this story will develop….If anyone would like to become my OFFICIAL reviewers, please speak up!!!! You will be most welcome!!!  
  
  
Chapter 6: Face-Off  
  
  
One week later…  
"Just let me copy 6 more inches Hermione! Please…" wheedled Harry. It was late at night and Harry, Hermione and Ron were all in the Common Room doing their homework.  
"He's a parasite, Hermione. Let him work as hard as we did." Called out Ron from his chair where he was scribbling his 'predictions'.  
"Oh come on! You know I wouldn't ask if I weren't really REALLY desperate!" pleaded Harry, looking deep into Hermione's eyes. Professor Binns had assigned them to make a report on the Salem Witch Burnings that would take up exactly 3 rolls of parchment. Harry had been so busy with Quidditch practices, researching about the prophecy and worrying about Sirius that he hardly had any time left for schoolwork.  
Ron rolled his eyes.  
"Hey buddy, Lara and I are doing the exact same things you're doing and we STILL manage to get our homework done." He grinned, just to tease Harry.  
"Knowing that you're the Dark Lord's main target doesn't exactly help matters any." Shot back Harry and then turned his attention back to Hermione, his eyes pleading.  
Hermione couldn't help grinning. Everything was back to normal between the two of them. In fact, it seemed as though the incident after the Quidditch tryouts never even happened. And if Hermione tried hard enough, it even seemed as though she was able to forget her feelings about Harry.  
She sighed and shoved her homework across the table for Harry to copy.  
"Thanks Herm! You're the best!"  
Then again, her heart still turned over every time he spoke to her.  
They were interrupted suddenly by Lara as she stalked into the Common Room.  
"Arrrrgghhhh! If only I could permanently hex that stupid, ugly, annoying, irritating -"she fumed. Lara was covered from head to toe in flour and smelled strongly of sardines.  
Ron, Hermione and Harry took one look and burst out laughing.  
"Peeves got you again?" Hermione asked as she unsuccessfully tried to wipe the smirk from her face. This unleashed another torrent of words from the still-pissed Lara.  
"You know, I think Peeves kind of fancies Lara." I think this is his way of showing affection." Harry commented with mock seriousness.  
Lara glared at Harry.  
She stalked up to her room to cool off and get cleaned.  
  
  
When she got back, the other 3 were in deep discussion over their latest findings on the prophecy.  
"I've found out what the Eye of Light is! Or at least…I think I have." Hermione was saying.  
"Really? Where? I thought we checked all the books in the library already." Demanded Harry breathlessly.  
"I found a book that has a page about it in the Restricted Section."  
"Gasp! Did I hear you correctly? Ms. Prefect Granger actually broke into the Restricted Section of her own free will without anyone accompanying her?" Ron pretended to be aghast. Hermione laughed and continued with her revelation.  
"According to the book, the Eye is just a small, glowing crystal orb. It is extremely fragile and its magical power depends on the user." She divulged breathlessly.  
"So…where can we find it?" Harry asked slowly.  
"That's the catch. It says here that the Eye is created only once every hundred years by the Chosen One. That's you Harry."  
"Huh? How am I supposed to do that?" demanded Harry  
"Umm…I haven't quite figured that part out yet."  
"What about that last bit of Lara's prophecy? About what was Then to realize what is Now?" Ron asked. That all silenced them for a while.  
Lara began chewing on the end of a lock of her long blond hair.  
Ron was tapping the table with his wand.  
Hermione was frowning at the floor.  
Harry was staring deep into the fire.  
More seconds ticked by…  
Ginny Weasley and a group of her friends passed through the Common Room, chattering noisily.  
Still more seconds…  
"Then…now…Harry Potter…then …now…Voldemort…" Lara was thinking furiously. Then, without warning, it hit home.  
"I'VE GOT IT!" she shouted.  
The other three visibly jumped in their seats.  
"What?" Ron asked eagerly.  
"Harry, have you found out the reason why Voldemort has been after you all these years? Why you are his primary target?" asked Lara urgently  
"No. Not yet." Harry replied slowly  
Hermione caught on to what Lara was driving at.  
"She's right Harry! Don't you see…the Eye of Light is basically created by knowledge of yourself! You have to figure out your past and why you're such a threat to Voldemort." She finished breathlessly  
"But…how will we know?" Ron asked, his eyebrows drawn together in thought.  
Harry looked straight at Lara.  
"We've got to ask Dumbledore."  
  
*****   
  
The four were up bright and early the next day. They had already made up their minds to approach Dumbledore after their classes.  
"Okay guys. We've got Elemental Magic first." Hermione chirped over breakfast.  
"It never ceases to amaze me, Herm, how you can be so excited over schoolwork." Muttered Ron under his breath. Hermione shot him a dirty look.  
After breakfast, they hurried out to the field in between the Forbidden Forest and the lake. This was where the Elemental Magic lessons took place. Professor Alistair greeted them with a smile.  
"Right. For today, we will be practicing the Rain Inducing and the Rain Stopping spells that I have taught you last Wednesday." He then proceeded to put them in groups of 4.  
"No, no!" he stopped when he saw Harry, Ron, Hermione and Lara move together. "I want each quartet to be composed of 2 Gryffindors and 2 Slytherins." He said calmly, despite the uproar from the students.  
Of all the Slytherins that Hermione and Harry had to be stuck with, it just HAD to be Draco Malfoy and his faithful admirer, Pansy Parkinson. (Ron and Lara were stuck with Crabbe and Goyle)  
"For the first cycle, Gryffindors will be creating rain and the Slytherins will try their hands at stopping it."  
With a set face, Harry rolled up his sleeves and drew out his wand. Together with Hermione, they cried "Aquatica!" there was a slight pause then it began to rain lightly over Malfoy and Pansy.  
Malfoy smirked and waved his wand.   
"Fini Aquatica!" he said, sunding bored out of his mind. The rain stopped instantly. Pansy looked at Draco rapturously.  
"Well Potter, you and Granger can't even make decent rain." He drawled.  
"Give it a rest Malfoy!" bit out Harry  
"Oooohh. Very tough Potter. I'm soooo scared." Draco said, pretending to cower. "You sure do know how to intimidate your enemies with your witty comebacks. Then again, you don't even need to open your mouth; your scarecrow hair is enough to give anyone nightmares for months." He snickered.  
"At least my hair hasn't fallen out lately." Harry said, looking pointedly at Draco's short, silvery hair. (Sadly, he had begun to grow back hair once a week had passed after it fell out). Malfoy turned slightly pink and decided to assault Hermione instead.  
"As for you, Granger, there should be a law keeping out Mudbloods like you!"  
"You tell her Draco!" cheered Pansy, looking with dislike at Hermione who was looking at the ground scarlet faced.  
Harry gasped and was about to hit Malfoy with a curse when he felt Hermione's restraining hand.  
"Please…" she pleaded with her eyes.  
Very, very slowly, Harry settled back down.  
Draco smiled when he saw that Harry had backed off. His smug smile was suddenly replaced by a yelp of horror when he sat that the hem of his robes were smoking.  
"Draco! Draco! Your robe is burning." Gasped Pansy tearfully.  
"I realize that Pansy." Draco said through gritted teeth as he tried to stamp the flames out.  
In her panic to save Draco, Pansy said the Rain Inducing spell a bit too forcefully and pretty soon, Draco pretty much resembled a drowned rat.  
Harry and the rest of the Gryffindors were laughing so hard that they caught the attention of the Professor who had dozed off under a nearby tree.  
Ron made a victory sign and raised his wand smugly.  
"Mr. Weasley! Did you just set fire to Mr. Malfoy?" demanded Professor Alistair furiously.  
Ron quickly put on his I'm-an-innocent-kid look.  
"No Professor! Er..I didn't mean to do it. Honest! My wand must be acting up again." The Professor just glared at him for a few more seconds before instructing Malfoy to go to Madame Pomphrey to check if he got and burns.  
  
*****   
  
"That was a great move, Ron!" praised Harry as the four made their way back to the castle after Elemental Magic. After Malfot had left, the lesson became much more enjoyable for Harry and Hermione. They were able to create a small thunderstorm which Pansy vainly tried to stop. In his euphoria, Ron accidentally summoned bits of hail. Professor Alistair took 5 pts away from Gryffindor for that. However, Ron's mood couldn't be dampened.  
"Yeah! I only wish my curse had burned him just a little bit more. It only singed him." Sighed Ron.  
"Don't let your new-found heroism get to your head." Teased Lara. Ron blew her a raspberry.  
"You're jut jealous that you weren't the one to humiliate Malfoy."  
"Too true." Laughed Lara.  
They met up with a group of Gryffindors and they all talked about and relived the recent Gryffindor/Malfoy face-off.  
Ron's good mood carried all the way to the end of the week. As luck would have it, it was then the very first Quidditch match of the season would take place: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



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